How to Prepare Your Body for Labor During Pregnancy
How to Prepare Your Body for Labor During Pregnancy
When most people think about preparing for labor, they focus on what happens during labor.
Breathing techniques.
Birth positions.
Hospital bags.
But labor preparation starts long before contractions begin.
The weeks and months leading up to birth offer an incredible opportunity to prepare your body, nervous system, and mind for the work ahead.
Labor Is an Athletic Event—But Not in the Way You Think
Labor requires:
Endurance
Mobility
Adaptability
Recovery
Nervous system flexibility
This doesn’t mean training harder.
It means preparing smarter.
Movement Matters
One of the best ways to prepare for labor is simply moving your body consistently throughout pregnancy.
Helpful activities include:
Walking
Prenatal yoga
Squatting
Pelvic mobility exercises
Swimming
Strength training
The goal is not fitness.
The goal is function.
Baby’s Position Matters
A well-positioned baby often contributes to a smoother labor experience.
During pregnancy, I encourage clients to focus on:
Daily movement
Postural awareness
Spinning Babies® principles
Pelvic balance
Releasing tension patterns
Birth isn’t about forcing a baby into position.
It’s about creating space for baby to find the best position possible.
Your Nervous System Is Part of Labor Preparation
This is where most birth preparation falls short.
Labor is not simply physical.
It is deeply influenced by the nervous system.
When we feel safe:
Oxytocin flows more easily
Muscles coordinate more effectively
Labor tends to progress more efficiently
When we feel fearful or overwhelmed:
Stress hormones increase
Tension increases
Coping becomes more difficult
Learning how to regulate your nervous system may be one of the most important forms of labor preparation available.
Preparing for Intensity
Many women prepare for birth by trying to eliminate discomfort.
Instead, I help clients build their capacity for intensity.
Labor is not about avoiding sensation.
It’s about learning how to move through it.
This may include:
Breathwork
Cold exposure
Mindfulness
Somatic practices
Guided relaxation
Partner-supported coping
These tools teach the body that intensity can be experienced without panic.
Why I Take a Different Approach to Birth Preparation
Many childbirth classes focus primarily on information.
Information is important.
But information alone doesn’t prepare someone for labor.
My approach combines:
Evidence-Based Education
Understanding labor, interventions, and decision-making.
Nervous System Preparation
Learning how to stay grounded during intensity.
Movement and Body Preparation
Creating balance, mobility, and space for birth.
Partner Preparation
Helping partners become confident and effective support people.
Emotional Preparation
Addressing fears, expectations, and the transition into parenthood.
Because birth isn’t just a physical event.
It’s a whole-person experience.
The Bottom Line
The best labor preparation isn’t about controlling birth.
It’s about preparing yourself to meet birth with confidence, flexibility, and trust.
When we prepare the body, support the nervous system, and build practical coping skills, we create the foundation for a more empowered birth experience.
How I Help Families Prepare
One of the biggest misconceptions about childbirth education is that it’s only about coping with contractions.
In reality, preparation starts long before labor begins.
You could spend months reading pregnancy books, listening to birth podcasts, searching Reddit, and piecing together advice from dozens of different sources.
Or you could have one thoughtfully curated resource that brings it all together. That's why I created this resource library and companion workbook.
It brings together the most valuable lessons from evidence-based research, trusted books, professional trainings, clinical experience, and holistic traditions into one thoughtfully curated, easy-to-follow guide.
Reading information is one thing. Applying it to your own pregnancy, birth, and family is another. That's why every roadmap includes a thoughtfully designed companion workbook to help you turn knowledge into action. As you move through each chapter, you'll find guided exercises, reflection prompts, planning worksheets, checklists, and space to organize your thoughts, questions, and preferences.
From understanding your nervous system and navigating medical decisions to preparing your relationship, protecting your postpartum recovery, and understanding your newborn, this is the resource I wish every family had before welcoming a baby.
Less searching. Less second-guessing. More confidence in the journey ahead.
[Discover the Book & Workbook →]
About Ash Novickas
Ash Novickas is a Los Angeles based birth and postpartum doula, lactation specialist, newborn care specialist and educator. Through her practice, Earthside Holistic L.A.,She offers Ayurvedic and holistic maternal recovery and newborn care postpartum, and supports families across Los Angeles with comprehensive birth preparation, evidence-based education and trauma-informed birth support. Ash’s work extends beyond physical support to include emotional and identity transition into motherhood. She guides families through Matrescence- the profound psychological and relational transformation of becoming a mother- helping clients feel grounded, supported and deeply met through every stage of pregnancy, birth and early parenthood.
